Silver and Black
by TheShatterpoint
Summary: Obito survives the Kannabi Bridge mission, and he and Kakashi get a chance to truly become friends. AU. Oneshot collection.
1. A New Life

**AN**: This will be a collection of oneshots, taking place in an alternative universe in which Obito survives the Kannabi Bridge mission. I'm not quite sure if I got the timeline right, but I'm assuming that the war ended and Minato was named as the Hokage shortly after the mission. There will also be some other traits of AUverse in the upcoming chapters, but I'll tell more about them in the future.

This will mostly be about Kakashi and Obito's friendship. No pairings.

Beta'ed by Lohis, thank you! ^^

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

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1. A New Life

_This is so stupid._

Kakashi scowled at the door. It was as if the piece of wood was mocking him, daring him to make the decision he knew he would have to make.

He slowly raised his hand to knock, but stopped it just before it hit the worn wood before him. His scowl turned into a frown and the teenager lowered his hand.

He'd already been standing there for a good five minutes, debating whether to knock and announce his presence or just stalk away like he'd never been there.

The silver-haired boy mentally groaned in frustration. He silently took a deep breath and raised his fist again, only to hesitate just before he could make up his mind. Maybe he would just quietly leave. He was a jounin after all; he had no time to loiter around here. Although the war was finally over, there was surely something he could do for the village, a B- or A-ranked mission for example. Or maybe he should just train. His Chidori felt still imperfect, he probably should have been at the training grounds right now honing his original technique.

Kakashi nodded determinately. Yes, that was what he would do. He was just about to turn around when the memory of Minato-sensei flashed in his mind, inviting him to come over. _Kushina will be happy too_, he'd said. Kakashi unconsciously bit his lip under the cloth-mask. No matter how much he tried to deny it, he was eager to meet his sensei. And Obito and Rin would be there too. Funnily, a few months ago he wouldn't had considered, even for a second, about coming, but now… now he wasn't so sure.

Kakashi shook his head, getting angry to himself. Why was he being such a chicken about this? He wasn't _that _awkward in social situations, he was sure everything would be just fine, maybe even fun. Once again he raised his hand, stopping just a hair's breadth from the door. Or maybe they wouldn't really want him there. In the end he was kind of a killjoy in gatherings like this, even if it was just for a few people.

However, he had no more time to make up his mind and disappear because the door was suddenly yanked open, revealing a dark-haired boy with orange goggles on his forehead. When he saw Kakashi standing in the doorway, right hand raised awkwardly to knock, his face was lit up by a bright smile, onyx eyes glowing in enthusiasm.

"Kakashi!" The boy yelled. "What the hell took you so long?"

The silver-haired prodigy stared stupidly at his friend.

"How did you know I was here?" He'd been masking his chakra all the time, in case he decided to retreat.

Obito grinned mischievously.

"I could practically hear the gears turning in your head whether to come or not. Come on, we're all waiting for you!"

Obito grabbed his arm and yanked him in. Kakashi scowled but didn't complain and instead let the raven-haired Uchiha haul him into the house and towards the living room. Dragging Kakashi somewhere was something Obito would have had no chance of doing a few months ago, but nowadays the Hatake forced himself not to mind too much. Yes, he still could have wiped the floor with the Uchiha if he'd wanted to (Obito _had_ gotten better, but Kakashi was still way ahead of him), but things were a bit different now than before, so Obito could haul him all the way to the living room without having to feat getting mauled.

"SENSEI! RIN! 'KASHI'S HERE!" The boy hollered.

"Damn, Obito, not so loud," Kakashi muttered, rubbing his ear with his free hand. Sensitive hearing was such a pain sometimes… Literally.

When they both were in the cozy living room, Obito finally released his arm.

Minato appeared from behind the corner, a wide smile spreading on his face when he saw his student.

"Kakashi-kun, great you could make it!"

"Hokage-sama," Kakashi said with a slight bow. Minato's smile turned embarrassed. Kakashi knew his teacher would have preferred him to call him "sensei", but the blonde man was the _Yondaime _now, Kakashi couldn't just -

Suddenly someone slapped him on the back of the head.

"Hey!" He yelled in indignation, embarrassment threatening to color his cheeks just above the mask. He was a jounin! Jounins were not supposed to be slapped in the back of the head like that!

Kushina, who'd just come from the kitchen, laughed at him.

"Come on," she said, grinning, "Nobody, least of you guys, should have to call that fool ("Hey!" Minato protested) _Hokage-sama_ on occasions like this."

Namikaze Minato looked like he was about to pout but at the last moment seemed to decide against it. Pouting was just something students should not see their teacher doing.

Kakashi rolled his eyes.

"Fine… Minato-sensei."

Minato smiled brighter than the sun and Obito laughed. At that moment, Rin entered the room from the back door, without a doubt having visited the garden. She smiled sweetly at Kakashi when she noticed him, her cheeks blushing lightly. Kakashi smiled, his eyes curving happily. It was something his friends probably still needed to get used to. After all, he hadn't smiled much before. Well, hadn't really smiled at all.

Funny how just a single mission could change things so thoroughly.

The Kannabi Bridge mission had been a task that could have gone wrong in so many ways, yet they all had somehow managed to get home alive. Obito had even activated his Sharingan during the mission (and the boy just _wouldn't shut up_ about it).

Kakashi too had gotten a souvenir from the life-changing mission. A nasty-looking scar now ran all the way from his left cheekbone to his jaw line, barely visible as it was mostly covered by his mask. It had been a straight, clean cut. Rin had again and again lectured him how he'd be blind in his left eye if the sword had cut even a little higher. But it hadn't, and he and Obito had managed to save Rin ("That teamwork was _awesome_", Obito had cheered), and the three had got out just before the cave had collapsed on them. They had still needed Minato-sensei's help while fighting off the rest of the Iwa nins, and luckily their teacher had arrived swiftly after Kakashi had thrown the kunai he'd gotten from his sensei, thus unknowingly alerting their teacher.

They'd all gotten home safely. And things had changed, drastically.

Kakashi still couldn't forget how close he'd come to lose either one, or both, of his teammates. Teammates, who he had earlier thought he hated or didn't really care about. But when he, for a moment, had almost believed they wouldn't be able to save Rin or that Obito wouldn't make it in time out of the collapsing cave, he had realized he couldn't stand even the thought of never seeing either one of them again.

His teammates had gotten a whole new meaning. They were his _friends_ now.

Obito had changed too. He wasn't trying to rile him up every possible minute, and Kakashi wasn't mocking him all the time. Well, maybe a little, but not with the same hostility.

It made him feel so different, so _happy _that he almost didn't dare to believe it.

"'Kaaaashi, you're spacing out again."

The Hatake shook his head and glared at Obito, annoyed. The Uchiha was laughing at him, he could see the gleam in his eyes.

"No I wasn't. And don't call me that. " He hated nicknames as much as Obito liked to annoy him with them.

"Yes you were!" Obito singsonged. "The Great Hatake _got lost_ in his _thoughts!_"

Kakashi death-glared the Uchiha, who, in turn, just grinned at him. Kakashi didn't get a chance to retaliate (not that he really would have done it anyway), as Kushina now had grabbed his arm and was dragging him towards the kitchen and the dining area.

"Come on!" His sensei's lover said cheerfully, "I've made some delicious ramen for us all!"

"Isn't ramen a bit… ordinary food to eat when we're celebrating Minato-sensei's naming as the Hokage?" Kakashi asked, raising one silver eyebrow.

"Don't be silly, ramen is _always_ good," Kushina replied with a smile that said 'if-you-mock-ramen-ever-again-you'll-be-sorry.' Kakashi shuddered, and Kushina happily shoved him towards a chair.

Kakashi sat down at the table, only to be slapped to the back of the head again, this time by Obito.

"What was that for?" He demanded, rubbing his mistreated head.

"For doubting the almighty ramen," Obito replied gravely, slumping to the chair next to him. "Oh maaan, I'm so hungry!"

Rin huffed in mock exasperation, sitting to the other chair beside Kakashi. Minato sat to the seat opposite Obito's, happy smile spreading on his face.

Kushina dashed from the kitchen with bowls of ramen balanced on her arms ("Honey, you're gonna drop them, let me he–" "_No_! Sit down! I'll manage just fine!") and set them on the table. Obito looked at his meal as if he hadn't eaten in ages, a predatory gleam in his eyes. Kakashi hid a smile, waiting for his sensei to keep a small thank you –speech for them. Then they all attacked their bowls of noodle.

From the corner of his eye Kakashi quickly glanced at every one of his companions. Obito was practically inhaling his food and Minato-sensei warned him he'd soon choke if he didn't slow down, while Rin was telling about her medical training to Kushina. The dining area was filled with cheerful chatter.

He couldn't help but smile.

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Thank you for reading! Feedback is more than welcomed!

If there are any mistakes, please tell me.


	2. Training Day

Thank you for all the reviews, favorites and follows! Sorry you had to wait for this chapter ^^'

Beta'ed by Lohis, thank you!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

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2. Training Day

Obito watched as Kakashi's gloved hands flew through the seals of his original technique. Suddenly the air was filled with the sound of thousand birds chirping and a light rivaling the sun glowed in the jounin's hand. Obito watched, his onyx eyes wide at the raw power, pure blue-white chakra in his friend's hand. Chidori truly was a frightening jutsu. He didn't envy his friend's enemies at all.

Kakashi darted forward, dashing towards the practice dolls. There was a crashing sound as the chakra-filled fist hit the target and went straight through it. Kakashi drew his arm out of the newly made hole, straightening.

"YEAH!" Obito cheered. "That was awesome!"

Kakashi turned to look at him, looking almost but not quite annoyed.

"You've seen that many times already," the silver-haired boy said with a slight scowl.

"Yeah, but it's still cool."

"It's not supposed to be 'cool', it's supposed to be deadly."

"Kakashi, relax a little. I know it is a weapon but it still _is_ cool," Obito grinned. Kakashi seemed to tense ever so slightly but then the youth relaxed a little.

"Yeah, sorry Obito."

The Uchiha was nearly amazed every time the Hatake did that. Kakashi had never ever apologized before for something as trivial as that. No, the old Kakashi would have scoffed and made some nasty remark about the raven-haired boy for his defense. But nowadays the prodigy didn't really do that anymore, which made Obito more than happy.

Of course Kakashi wasn't in any way suddenly the nicest person in the world. Sometimes he still slipped back to the mission-comes-always-first-Kakashi and said something hurtful or otherwise acted like a jerk, but he didn't try to put Obito down all the time anymore. Obito knew he himself wasn't perfect either, as sometimes he would still annoy his silver-haired friend a _little_ too much. But it was never too serious, never something truly hurtful.

"How's your aim now?" Kakashi asked, bringing the boy with the goggles back from his thoughts. The dark-haired boy grinned.

"Just wait and see, I've gotten so much better!" Kakashi raised one silver eyebrow, but Obito was sure he saw the other boy's lip twist into a smile under the cloth-mask.

Obito grabbed three shuriken from his holster and hurled them towards the target. Two hit it straight in the middle and one became embedded close the others. Obito huffed in indignation, dark eyes staring at the throwing star that hadn't hit the bull's-eye. Kakashi chuckled beside him.

Obito narrowed his eyes at the target, suddenly a kunai in his hand. With a flick oh his wrist the boy sent the dagger flying through the air. It hit the target in the center with a dull thud, quivering a little before becoming still.

"Nice," Kakashi said. Obito beamed.

"Soon I'll be good enough to keep your sorry ass out of trouble when you use the chidori. We'll be the best team _ever_!" Obito declared with a bright smile.

Kakashi had a funny look in his grey eyes, like he wasn't sure how to react to such a friendly speech. The prodigy "hn"ed, seemingly deciding to act like nothing had happened. Obito hid a smile.

They then started to spar, no weapons or ninjutsu allowed, kicking and punching and evading. Obito knew he had gotten better, but Kakashi still won every time.

The silver-haired boy helped him up for the umpteenth time, eyes curving in a cheerful smile.

"That," the raven-haired boy grunted as he grabbed the offered hand, "was _cheating."_

"Crybaby," Kakashi mocked good-naturedly. "It's not cheating if it keeps you alive during missions."

Obito was about to teach the prodigy a well-deserved lesson by trying to tackle him to the ground when they were interrupted.

"Hey guys!"

The two boys turned to look at the auburn-haired girl with violet marks on her cheeks. She waved at them as she walked closer to the training grounds.

"You're not fighting again, are you?" She said, though there was a happy glint in her eyes.

"_Sparring_," the Uchiha replied, trying to get the dirt and dust from his clothes.

"How's your training going, Rin?" Kakashi asked.

Rin blushed just ever-so-slightly. Obito wondered if that meant she had gotten over her crush for the Hatake or that she was just surer about herself nowadays.

"F-fine, thank you," she stuttered, the blush darkening. So the crush was still on. Damn.

"Fine?" Obito still repeated, grinning. "More like _brilliantly_, if what I've heard from Sensei is true!"

Kakashi chuckled. Rin looked like all the blood in her body had just rushed to her face.

"How's _your_ training going?" The girl asked, clearly enthusiastic to change the subject.

"Super well!" Obito yelled before Kakashi had time to answer. "Kakashi killed the training doll and _I_ hit the bull's-eye!" He waved his hand excitedly at the target.

"Yeah. What awesome ninja we are," Kakashi muttered, rolling his eyes. Rin giggled. Obito hoped he could have somehow recorded the conversation, because it seemed like_ Kakashi had just made a joke -_

Suddenly there was a rush of wind and then the Yellow Flash of Konoha materialized beside them. Obito knew he should have by now gotten used to his teacher's sudden arrivals, but he still yelped in surprise.

"_What the -?"_

"Morning!" Minato Namikaze shouted, smiling brighter than the sun.

"Ho – _Minato-sensei_!" Kakashi yelled, half in horror and half in incredulous indignation. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at the _Hokage's office_! With your ANBU guards!"

Obito and Rin snickered at their friend's response. Minato-sensei had threatened to call the Hatake "Kashi-chan" in public _for the rest of his life_ if the silver-haired boy didn't stop calling him "Hokage-sama" when they met up as a team.

"Now now, Kakashi, the Village will have to survive for a while!" Minato declared. "I have some news for you and they couldn't wait!" The blond man truly looked like he was going to burst from whatever information he was withholding at the moment.

Kakashi crossed his arms, scowling. Rin however looked quite excited about sensei's words.

"What is it, Minato-sensei, if you couldn't wait to call for us?

"Me and Kushina, " Minato-sensei announced, smiling from ear to ear, "are going to have a baby!"

Rin let out a sound that could only be identified as a squeal.

"That's wonderful!"

"Wow, that's great Sensei!" Obito cheered. Kakashi, on the other hand, looked like he didn't know how to react.

"Uh, that's nice."

"Nice?! They're having a baby and all you say it's _nice_?"

"Well what am I supposed to say?"

"How about _congratulate_ them or something?"

"_Fine_! Uh, congratulations, Sensei."

Minato looked like he was desperately trying to stifle his laughter. Rin mock-glared at them. Then she had her attention back in their teacher.

"Do you know if it's a girl or boy? Have you thought about any names already?" Obito was sure her eyes were gleaming from excitement.

Minato-sensei waved his arms. "Uh, we don't really know yet, we kind of just found that out…" The Yondaime rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I just wanted you to know right away! But I gotta go now before the ANBU find me…"

And then he was gone in a flash.

Obito frowned.

"Doesn't he sound like an escaped criminal or something?"

Kakashi and Rin laughed.

Obito laughed too, looking at the direction of the Village. The idea of Sensei and Kushina having a kid was kind of weird, but Obito couldn't stop smiling.

He hoped everything would go well.

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Thank you for reading! Feedback is always welcomed.

**AN:** Sorry for the wait, the next chapter won't take this long, I promise ;D

If there are any mistakes, just let me know and I'll fix them ;)


	3. The Outcast

Thank you for the wonderful reviews, favorites and follows! ^^

Beta'ed by Lohis, thank you!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

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3. The Outcast

The streets of Konoha were quiet and empty.

The sun had set hours ago, leaving a dark moonless sky behind. There were no villagers wandering on the alleys, no ninjas returning from bars and taverns and the night guards remained unseen in the shadows.

Kakashi slowly strolled down the roads towards his apartment block. The night was chilly, a small gust of wind blowing through the deserted streets. The cool air felt nice against his face, or at least on what was visible of it.

He had trained the better part of the day, arriving early to the most desolate of training grounds and staying there till nightfall. Though his relationship to his teammates was better nowadays he still sometimes liked to spend the day training on his own with no distractions.

He dragged his feet towards his apartment, dying to get some sleep. He knew his teacher would have scolded him for training too hard if he had seen him right now, he could almost hear Minato-sensei's worry-filled voice lecturing for his thoughtlessness. But the Yondaime of the Village Hidden in the Leaves was a busy man and hadn't been able to meet his team as often as before anymore.

Kakashi sighed. He would have lied if he had claimed he didn't miss his teacher. At least Team Minato still met Kushina quite often as the pregnant woman had momentarily retired from taking missions and was more than happy whenever his husband's students came to spend time with her. The feeling was still a little weird, Kakashi had thought, sitting there at the table eating Kushina's delicious cooking and listening Rin's cheerful chatter as the girl had excitedly asked about the baby, Obito rambling about his training at the same time.

It was weird, but nice. And one day he had realized the changes in his relationships to his precious people (he hadn't even known some of them were precious to him before he had almost lost them) had also altered his motives to do the one thing he knew best: to fight.

Before, he had fought for restoring the honor of his family name. He had fought for the Village and for his mission. But never ever had he fought for friends.

He hadn't really had any of them before.

But today as he had beaten the hell out of a training doll, his punches and kicks had been fuelled by the thought of never again letting Rin get captured. And when he had showered the targets with shuriken and kunai the only thought in his mind had been that Obito had almost died during the war.

For the first time he felt like he was truly starting to understand why his father had done what he did during that fateful mission which aftermath had lead to Hatake Sakumo's suicide.

He couldn't even stand the _thought_ of losing his friends.

The answer was to train, train, train until he would be strong enough to protect his friends.

He and Obito had practiced a lot together lately and the Uchiha had definitely improved. Their sensei had warned Kakashi from using the Chidori again as he couldn't protect himself when moving with such a great speed, but the raven-haired teenagers seemed determined to get skilled enough to cover his back when he used his original technique in a battle.

The silver-haired teen was abruptly snatched from his thoughts when he spotted another presence on the deserted streets. There was a lone figure slowly walking ahead, their head bowed, dragging something that looked like a large back with them.

Figure that looked very much like...

"Obito?"

The boy's head snapped up and Kakashi could confirm his assumptions as he walked forwards, halting to stand in front of the wanderer. It truly was the Uchiha. The prodigy quickly scanned his friend over. Obito's clothes were a little rumpled and he was missing his usual coat with the Uchiha symbol. Even his goggles seemed to be slightly askew. Kakashi frowned. It wasn't like Obito to wander around the Village during night. The boy wouldn't usually sacrifice a good night's sleep for anything.

However, the most worrying part of the situation was that his friend's usually either cheerful or determined face looked a little haunted, his eyes red from crying.

"Oh, hi Kakashi," the black-haired boy greeted, trying to smile his usual bright smile. It looked more than a little strained.

"You alright?" Kakashi asked, the frown still in place. Obito let out a shaky laugh.

"Of course, why?"

"You're a terrible liar."

Kakashi's gaze flickered to the bag the other boy was dragging with him. The zipper of the bag wasn't properly drawn, showing a bit of clearly hastily packed clothes. His frown deepened.

"What happened?"

"Nothing too bad," Obito tried to assure, that forced smile on his tired face. "Just… just had a small argument with Fugaku-sama."

Kakashi noted that even though the name of the Uchiha Clan Head was said with the respectful honorific the tone clearly indicated anything but respect.

He'd always known Obito didn't have too warm relations with the other Uchiha, especially the Clan Head who seemed to regard the boy as a pathetic failure. Obito, having lost his parents years ago, tried to spend as much time as possible outside the Uchiha Compound and out of the hateful glares of his kin.

The fact that the boy was outside during so late hours with a bag filled with clothes was more than worrying.

"Argument about what?" Kakashi inquired. He was eager to get all the facts before making his conclusion.

"Well, he was mocking me a little more than usual and… I kind of retaliated."

Kakashi's grey eyes widened. "You didn't!"

Obito's grin turned sincere for a while. "Oh yes I did! I got quite creative when telling him exactly what I think about that stupid proud ass of his and…" The grin faltered, turning sad and sheepish at the same time. "He kinda kicked me out."

Kakashi fixed him an incredulous look. "He kicked you _out_?"

Obito nodded, his voice hitching a little as he blinked his eyes to hold back tears."I had barely time to get most of my thing with me. He pretty much threw me out and threatened me that if I ever came back, I wouldn't be able to even _crawl_ back out."

Kakashi cursed the blasted Uchiha Clan Head to the lowest hell possible.

"Damn it, Obito, why did you have to do that?" Though it probably had been hilarious, he had to admit. "It's not that he hadn't put you down before, I mean."

"Yeah but…" Obito hesitated.

"What?"

The Uchiha sighed.

"He said he'd always known I was a loser but he hadn't thought I'd be as 'pathetic as to hang out with traitors'."

Kakashi stared at him for a moment. Then he batted the coal-haired boy on the head.

"Ow!" Obito shouted in indignation. "What was that for?"

"You idiot. You didn't have to yell at him for that and get yourself kicked out!"

"What! Of course I had to! Didn't you hear what I said the bastard called you? Because we both know he meant _you_ by that!" Obito yelled.

Kakashi raised his eyebrow. "If you haven't noticed, half of the Village shares his opinion. It's nothing new." Though that didn't mean his insides didn't twist painfully every time he heard the accusing whispers.

"Well they deserve to get a good shouting too!" Obito said angrily. "You're not a traitor, your father wasn't a traitor and this thick-headed village is just too damn dumb to realize it!"

Kakashi was silent for a while. Then he said:

"You're still an idiot." Another silence. "But thanks."

Obito's fierce expression faded away.

"Don't worry about it," he said, a small smile tugging his lips. "It's not like I _wanted_ to live there anyway. It was just a question of time before Fugaku would have decided to get rid of me, even if I hadn't shouted at him." The boy smirked again. "I might have gotten crazy anyway."

Kakashi huffed exasperatedly. Obito laughed a little.

"So, where are you going to stay?" The Hatake asked.

"Well, uh, I don't really now…" The black-haired teen smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "I thought I would sleep at the park tonight, on some bench or something and think about it more tomorrow. Though I don't really have money for a place of my own…" He grimaced.

Kakashi frowned again. "Why don't you go to stay at Minato-sensei and Kushina's place? They would be happy to let you live there for a while."

"No, I can't do that!" Obito objected. "I know they'd let me stay like, forever if I asked but Minato-sensei is the Hokage now and they are going to have the baby soon. So it's not like they aren't busy enough now without me living in their corners…" he trailed off.

"Well what about Rin?"

Obito flushed deep read.

"I-I can't do that!" He stammered. "S-she and her family have a house small enough already…"

Kakashi rolled his eyes at his friend's excuses. Then an idea occurred to him.

"There's a free apartment on my block," he said. "The rent is not too bad, but I could still try to get you a discount." He was silent for a while." And you can crash on my couch for tonight."

"Whoa, really?" Obito's onyx eyes lit up with obvious and hopeful relief. "You would do that?"

"You were stupid enough to get yourself kicked out when defending me so I guess it's the least I can do."

A sincere, bright smile spread out on the other boy's face. "Thanks so much, Kakashi! You're a true friend!"

"Shut up and come on," the prodigy snorted, starting to walk towards his apartment block again. "I'd like to get some sleep tonight too."

Obito hurried after him, dragging the bag behind him and chattering cheerfully as he had no care in the world anymore.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Feedback is more than welcomed! ^^


	4. To Dust

Thank you so much for all the feedback! ^^

Beta'ed by Lohis, thanks!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

4. To Dust

The sky is aflame.

There is a furious, demonic aura everywhere, wrapping around the forests and the village and the air itself. That aura of rage and blood-thirst reaches and freezes every citizens' – both ninjas' and civilians' – hearts without mercy. It is like some horrible beast stalking around you, clawing at your chest, its growls filling your mind. Just the aura is enough to make even the most battle-hardened shinobis want to make themselves as small as possible and disappear from the face of the Earth.

Kakashi stands in the woods alongside his peers and stares at the flaming red horizon.

_The Kyuubi._

He still can't believe it. The Kyuubi, the Nine-Tails, the Demon Fox is _right there_, about to flatten his home and crush his life. And it all had happened so fast. Just today his morning routines had been cruelly interrupted by a horrible ruckus as Obito had been – by the sound of it –trying to break down the door so he could ask if Kakashi had any toast. Everything had been so mundane, so normal and suddenly the world had fallen into a nightmare and there was a bogeyman ready to crush every single being in the Village. And it is able to do it, with just a few sweeps with its huge tails.

And Kakashi could do nothing to stop it.

The older ninjas had immediately brought them here to the forest (to safety, they had said, as if anywhere would be safe now) in order to stop them from "interfering and getting themselves killed". They have been here for only a moment and already Kakashi is horribly restless as his instincts scream at him to rush and aid the others.

From the outside he appears to be calm as ever, arms crossed and grey eyes sternly fixed at the direction of the battle. But inside he is bristling with contained nervous energy. Mentally he is pacing, shouting in frustration, fearing for the worst every passing second. But he is a jounin, he is a Hatake, a prodigy – he has to do better than that, he has to_ be_ better than that.

His fingers dig into his arms as he tightens his hold unconsciously. He is a jounin, he isn't supposed to just stand here and do nothing while the others sacrifice their lives for the Leaf. But the elder generation is unyielding in this matter, and Yuuhi Kurenai's father's determination doesn't waver. The younger generation is trapped here.

He hates it, hates to just stand here with nothing to do. Is everyone okay? Is Kushina alright? Is Minato-sensei okay? Obito has just gone to fetch Rin so they all three will be ready to dash to the battlefield as soon as the chance comes. But before that he is alone.

Alone.

A deafening roar from the demon splits the air like one of the monster's deadly tails, making his ears hurt. His mouth is a thin line; his eyes betray nothing of his inner turmoil. Not yet.

"_Kakashi_!"

The Hatake's head whips around. Obito Uchiha is running towards him, his spiky hair looking even more ruffled than usual.

"What is it, Obito?" He asks, frowning. The dark-haired boy looks very distraught as he comes to a halt beside his friend. Scratch that, he looks downright hysteric. "What's wrong?" _Apart from that huge demon fox threatening to tear the Village apart, of course._

Obito's onyx eyes dart around and he is speaking so quickly that Kakashi has trouble following.

"Kakashi, I- I looked around but… but she's not here, 'Kashi, she's – "

"Obito, calm down," Kakashi says sternly, turning to face his friend properly and trying his best to ignore the unsettling feeling his friend's ramble has caused to flare inside him. "What are you saying?"

"Rin! I can't find Rin!" Obito shouted, looking frantic.

The young jounin feels like one of the demon's tails has just pierced his chest. Actually, he feels worse.

"What do you mean?"

"What do I- Kakashi, she's not here! I've been checking over and over again but she's not _here_!"

"Calm down," Kakashi tells him again, but his own heart is beating madly in his chest. "Have you asked around?"

"_Of course_, I asked everyone but – but –"

Kakashi steps forwards, grabbing his friend's shoulders and shaking him slightly. "But _what_?"

There are tears in Obito's dark eyes. "Someone thought they saw her earlier – running over _there_."

He points straight at where the Kyuubi is raging.

Kakashi simply stares at him for a moment, before taking a step back, his hands dropping from the other boy's shoulders.

"No, she can't – why would she –"

"You know how she's _like_, Kakashi." Obito's voice is frightened. "She knew there would be people hurt over there; she might have run straight to there without a second thought!"

"But – _we_ couldn't get there, how could she have made it there before we were brought here?" Kakashi knows he sounds more like he was trying to convince himself rather than his friend but he can't really care less_. Rin._

"_The hospital, _Kakashi," Obito whispers, and somehow his quiet voice sounds much much louder than the screams and roars. "The hospital is closer. She… She might have made it there with the others."

Kakashi's head whips around and he stares at the direction the Kyuubi's chakra is coming from. It might not be true, Rin could be perfectly safe somewhere, with other medics or their peers, anxiously waiting for news about the situation.

Or she might be at the heart of the battlefield.

"We have to go there," he breathes.

"How?" Obito sounds more than anxious, tugging his dark spiky hair.

"There must be a way, we have to –"

Suddenly the Kyuubi's chakra disappears, moving farther away from the village.

"What happened?"

"I don't know, Obito."

They stand side by side, waiting for something to happen, the barrier to disappear so they could finally go and make sure Rin is okay.

There is movement in the woods and another shinobi jumps from the trees to the ground, talking with the others.

"It was teleported away," Kakashi hears the ninja say, "they say it was Yondaime-sama, that he's fighting it right now…"

Kakashi closes his eyes. Obito draws a shaky breath.

It is probably just some fifteen minutes later that the demonic chakra finally disappears, but for Kakashi it feels like hours. During those torturing long minutes his mind plays over and over again all the possible scenarios for the battle, for Minato-sensei, for Rin –

And then the Kyuubi is gone.

The barrier is removed and Kakashi is moving before he even realizes it, racing through the woods, Obito right at his heels.

It feels like the ground is crumbling from under his feet. The basics of his life, the sturdy pillars that were holding up everything else, are shattering in the face of an earthquake and there is nothing he can do.

Sensei.

Rin.

Their faces are burning in his mind as he runs, urging him to move faster, faster, because he needs to know, needs to know they are alright, okay –

The battlefield is a chaos. People – civilians, ninjas, kids, adults, everyone – are running around, screaming and crying and shouting orders and there is so much _death_. Collapsed buildings, splinters of wood, so many dead…

A body, a young girl with auburn hair and violet marks on her cheeks, lying face down beside a dead brown-haired kunoichi. She tried to save her, tried to patch up that horrible gash in her back when the Kyuubi's tail whipped past and nearly cut her in half.

Obito sits on the ground, face buried in his hands and sobs, shoulders shaking violently. The Uchiha's hands are stained crimson from blood as he tried to help Rin but it was too late and the body was already cold and dead. Kakashi just stands by him, staring at the body(RIN) with a hollow gaze. He wants to close his eyes but he can't, just like he can't stop listening to the screams and cries around him, stop listening to the other ninjas talking _(did you hear, the Yondaime, he's dead, oh Kami he's DEAD, died fighting the Kyuubi, saved us all, us all… There was a woman there too, for some reason, also dead… so many dead…)_

Dead.

And suddenly his life is shattering to countless little pieces, the shards cutting his fingers and spreading everywhere on the floor and all he can do is just stand there and watch it all happen.

Everything crumbles.

Burns to ashes.

Turns to dust.

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Thank you for reading! Please tell me what you think.

**Warning: Author's Note contains spoilers up to chapter 605. **

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**AN: **Sooo.. Sorry about the wait. It was like my brain just refused to work with the stories I should have been updating. But well, I'm back again and I'll do my best to update more frequently in the future. Thank you for your patience. ^^

About this chapter, yes I know that if Obito had survived, the Kyuubi attack wouldn't have happened. But the moment I got the idea for this story it was clear that it would go like this, so in this story Tobi is Madara. I did consider changing it but the upcoming chapters are somewhat based on the fact that Obito and Kakashi are alone so then I would have been forced to change the whole story and I really didn't want to do that.

Anyway, I hope you liked it. ^^

If there are any mistakes, just let me know and I'll fix them.


	5. What Was Meant to Be

Thank you again for the feedback!

Beta'ed by Lohis, thank you ^^

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

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5. What Was Meant to Be

_How did this happen?_

The apartment was cold and dark and all too silent. It was like all light, sound and life itself had been just sucked out, leaving behind only emptiness and oppressive silence. Outside the waning moon slightly illuminated the dark night, the white light slipping between the curtains but doing practically nothing to drive away the shadows stalking in the corners.

Uchiha Obito paced around his small flat, trying his best to hold himself together, desperately attempting to grasp the shreds of his very being and keep them from scattering away.

He was failing.

He tried to breathe, because that was what Sensei had always told him to do when he was getting a little too upset, to _just breathe, Obito, it always makes everything slightly better _and Sensei was _wrong _because it didn't help at all.

And Minato-sensei's kind voice would never ever tell him to calm down again because he was _dead._

Dead.

Obito drew another shaky breath. He was fighting a losing battle but he still desperately tried to keep himself from falling apart because if he broke down now he wasn't sure if he would be able to pick up the pieces anymore.

_How did this_ happen?

It had all been so well. Minato-sensei and Kushina having a kid. He and Kakashi being friends. Rin doing great in her medical training and Obito had thought that maybe, just maybe he would have had enough courage to finally ask her out…

And now it was too late because Rin was dead like Sensei and Kushina.

And little Naruto, his Sensei's child was all alone and with a demon sealed inside him. And Obito just knew nobody in the Village was going to regard the boy as a savior like Minato-sensei had intended, there had already been sings about that in the villagers' behavior (they didn't know what Obito and Kakashi knew, that Naruto was their beloved Yondaime's firstborn).

Tears were falling down his face but he didn't attempt to stop them or wipe them away because really, what was the point, he'd been crying the whole night anyway.

The last week had been, as people usually said, like a horrible and surreal yet painfully real nightmare. The aftermath of the battle, the counting of the fallen, the massive funeral… When one ordeal finally ended the next one was already waiting and so the days had sluggishly dragged on like some slowly affecting poison.

And when it had all been over there had been a whole new hell waiting for him.

Because now he was supposed to return back to his dark empty cold hollow apartment and to his _life_ and nothing had ever felt more impossible than that because there was nothing left because they were. All. Dead.

Expect one.

He suddenly stopped his pacing, breathing heavily and blinking rapidly. The darkness in the apartment felt like it was getting closer, the shadows slowly collapsing on him and trying to drag him deeper into the utter void of hopelessness.

And he just couldn't take it anymore.

Before he even realized he was already out of the flat, distractedly closing the door behind him and then hurrying down the stairs in the dark narrow corridor.

It was quiet, eerily and all too quiet. The block of flats was usually filled with sounds of life – steps from the hallway, distant laughter, and quiet words spoken in the neighboring apartments. Now the corridor was devoid of any sound apart from his thumping footsteps. Every being in the building (in the whole village) was filled with too much grief and mourning to disturb the hollow, shocked atmosphere of the town.

He stalked down the stairs, halting when he had reached the floor two stores below his own and the door of the apartment in the middle.

He stood there in the empty gloomy corridor, the only sound being his slightly ragged breathing. For once he couldn't care less that he was crying or that his breath was hitching with stifled sobs. He blinked rapidly, trying to clear his vision. Otherwise he hardly noticed the tears running down his face, and barely noted that he was nearly hyperventilating.

He licked his lips, his gaze never wavering from the sturdy wooden door in front of him. He wanted to knock so much. He wanted a proof_, needed_ a proof, a living breathing proof that he wasn't alone, that he still had one precious person in his life. But still, he couldn't bring himself to knock. It was like his arms were suddenly so heavy he couldn't even try to lift them.

Because in some deep corners of his mind he was afraid. Afraid that if he knocked there would be no answer and then someone would come and say _Hatake Kakashi? But wasn't he killed in the Kyuubi attack?_

It was a totally irrational fear, because of course Kakashi had survived, Obito had been with him all the time, seen him, spoken to him, others had spoken to him. But still…

He just needed to be sure. But he was so afraid he was wrong after all.

After a few (long, agonizingly long) unsure, undeciding seconds the door was slowly opened and Obito suddenly found himself face-to-face with a very tired-looking Hatake Kakashi.

For a short moment (it didn't feel short, though, it felt like the universe itself had stopped moving) the two friends just stared at each other. Kakashi still had one hand on the door handle, his posture hunched and defeated (it seemed so wrong, somehow, Kakashi should never look so resigned, it was against the very laws of the nature). Obito was still breathing heavily but too shallowly, his shoulders shaking and black teary eyes fixed on his friend's face.

Before he could stop himself he had briskly stepped forward and wrapped his shaky arms around his friend's shoulders. He just couldn't bear it anymore, the distance that somehow made him fear that the silver-haired boy in front of him was just an illusion, an image constructed by his trauma-filled mind and he just had to be _sure_.

Kakashi tensed slightly (of course he did, no one had probably hugged the idiot in years, and definitely not Obito) before slowly bringing one hand up to awkwardly pat the dark-haired boy's back. Obito restrained himself from fully losing control and starting to sob against his friends shoulder because that would be something his ego couldn't take. He slightly squeezed the other boy instead and asked with a trembling voice:

"How did you know I was here?"

He somehow sensed the faint smile on Kakashi's face even if he couldn't see it as the prodigy replied.

"I practically heard the cogs turning in your head."

Obito let out a choked laugh and took a step back, quickly rubbing his eyes with one arm although he knew it would do nothing to take away the tears. Nothing would.

"Sorry about that," he said.

"It's okay."

The old Obito, the before-the-Kyuubi-attack-Obito (because that's how it felt, like there had been a life before that nightmare and now just some shreds were left of that world) had heard that he had actually hugged Kakashi he would probably have blanched and denied even a possibility of that ever happening.

But things were different now.

There was no one else for them anymore.

Obito stepped in and Kakashi closed the door. The raven-haired boy then followed his friend to the small kitchen. Kakashi slumped to the chair at the small kitchen table and Obito sat on the chair on the other side.

Kakashi sighed inaudibly, pulling down his mask and rubbing his face wearily. Though Obito had seen the other boy without the ever-present mask a few times already (like on missions when he just had to so – so R-rin could patch up whatever wound he had managed to get) the Hatake still very much preferred to hide his face. The moments when he chose to be unmasked were few and far between. But now it somehow fit the situation. The silver-haired teen looked so much younger, smaller, less like the genius prodigy he was without the mask, the black cloth now pooling around his neck. His grey eyes had dark circles under them and he managed to look even paler than usual, his sun-spared face looking almost ghostly ashen.

They sat there in the dark apartment. Neither of them said a word. Neither of them even moved. But it was still oddly comforting to just be in the other boy's presence. It made him remember he was not alone, it made him remember his friend was still alive, safe and sound and here with him. He thought Kakashi felt the same.

They sat there until the sky outside began to lighten, the slowly rising sun driving the shadows away and filling the world with its pale light.

After what could have been hours Obito suddenly stood up.

Kakashi lifted his head and the Uchiha could see the tearstains on his cheeks. The Hatake didn't bother to wipe his face. Obito guessed his own eyes must have been as bloodshot and miserable as his friend's.

Kakashi didn't say anything, ask anything. He just stood up and followed Obito as the raven-haired teen walked out of the flat.

The air was chilly and the sky was clear, rapidly changing from dark to pale blue. The sun reached its golden rays from behind the eastern horizon.

The two teenagers walked side by side through the quiet Village. After some twenty minutes of walking they finally reached the training grounds.

The Memorial Stone stood lonely on the edges of the grounds. The grass in front of it was flattened from the many feet of mourners coming to respect their lost loved ones. But now there was no visitors on the Stone and that suited them just fine.

A small gust of wind ruffled his black hair and made some leaves dance in the morning air. They stood side by side in front of the Memorial. Obito swallowed. His gaze had immediately locked on three new names carved to the cold stone.

_Uzumaki Kushina_

_Namikaze Minato_

_Nohara Rin_

He almost broke at the sight of those three names scattered between so many others. Because they shouldn't have been there, should not have been there carved to the dead stone. The names should not have been there for decades to come.

Obito drew a shuddering breath. From the corner of his eye he saw Kakashi's shoulders tremble.

The sun rose lazily behind them, illuminating the grey stone and for a moment Obito imagined that the three names were colored with a golden glow.

"We have to take care of him."

Kakashi glanced at him.

"Sensei's son. He'll be all alone."

"…Yeah." Kakashi's gaze returned to the stone and Obito knew his friend had bitten back all the reasons it wouldn't be easy and the Uchiha was thankful for that. They could think and worry about it later. Now he was just determined to keep his Sensei's week-old legacy as safe and happy as possible.

Obito bowed his head and closed his eyes. When he opened them they were filled with tears.

"It wasn't meant to be like this," he said almost inaudibly.

Kakashi sighed wearily, resignedly.

"Nothing ever is," he said in a hollow voice. Obito did his best to hold back a sob.

They stood there until the sun was fully up and the Village started to wake up and get ready to face another day.

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Thank you for reading! Please leave a review and tell me what you think.

**AN:** So... More angst, but it was unavoidable angst. The next one will be happier, I promise.

I have lots of plans for the upcoming chapters (and the ideas _always_ attack me when I'm at _work_). There will be at least ten chapters more, probably even more than that. I really enjoy writing this fic and I will try to post the next chapter soon, though I'll be quite busy in this month so there may be another gap between the updates.

If there were any mistakes just let me know and I'll fix them.


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